While I didn't consider this to be necessarily the most important point we discussed in the first LIS 2600 class, what stood out to me as 'the muddiest point' raised in class was whether or not IT should be considered a threat to our library system. In part, I felt the answer was so unclear to me because my initial reaction to this question surprised me- as a somewhat traditional 'bookworm' who may tend to romanticize the idea of books and the library, I would have been less surprised if my reaction was that yes, IT is a threat to the library. However, the more I considered it, the more I began to feel that if IT support was not made available to libraries, they would be much worse off in terms of support, patronage, and funding than some already consider them to be.
A very simple example of the incredible benefit to the library as a result of IT support came up at the library where I am completing an internship this year. One of the women in charge of holds and ILL explained the old process for requesting items from other libraries, which involved writing out by hand 3 copies of the request form for every single item being requested, and said that as a result, very few patrons at that particular branch took advantage of this service. Now that the library has the technology to allow patrons to request items online on their own, and has made it easy to do so, the library's circulation has increased immensely, especially with items such as music and movies that are available from other ACLA libraries in the county.
Obviously this is a simple example and only a very small part of the debate, but I really found this question to be thought provoking. Since there is no clear, definitive answer to this question, I'm very curious about both other people's perspectives on this issue, as well as how my own opinion will shift or broaden as we continue to examine the relationship between IT and the library in class.
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The issue of technology does sometimes seem threatening. My belief is that it's only a threat to those within the field of library science who do not take advantage of the benefits technology can bring to a library. Your example of interlibrary loans was very good at illustrating how technology can help both library workers and patrons achieve better results. I have another example to add to the mix. My grandmother was an avid reader her whole life until she went blind. She began listening to audio books, but couldn't get to her local library very often so just listened to the same book that she owned over and over and over again for years. Once her local library created an online database, she was finally able to use a special type of ILL that constantly shipped audio books from all over the state right to her door, and allowed her to ship them back or have someone return them to her local library. As soon as she returned one, they shipped her another at her request. It's great when technology can actually help make libraries more connected with each other so they can better serve the needs of their patrons. In the case of my grandma, the quality of her life was improved drastically.
ReplyDeleteIt depends on how you think about technology. How did Monastic Scribes felt when Gutenberg unleashed Movable Type upon Europe. Probably the same way the reference desk at Carnegie Oakland feels about Google Books. But without the printing press and without movable type, the traditional library as we know it would not exist. The public library can in fact (and should) be seen as a purveyor of technology, rather than a stalwart against it. The idea is that information should be egalitarian, and access to information is mostly inalienable right. The question is, how can you as a librarian best serve your patrons, your user-base? Much in the same way that automated printing took literacy and print materials out of the hands of a select few and spread it the the masses, so too does the Web, mobile devices, and (from Rachel's Example) interlibrary loan even the information playing field.
ReplyDeleteTim, I find the image of Gutenberg "unleashing" the movable type upon Europe very amusing- like Godzilla.
ReplyDeleteI personally don't get the concept of technology threatening libraries. it seems like if you have an image in your mind (as it seems many ppl do) of the library as a large, echoing, hospice of the bygone era, then yes, technology may seem like a creeping plague. but libraries are not that.
Libraries are hubs of information and information comes in many packages. the typical public library will have of course books, but also journals, magazines, cds, dvds, (vhs), newspaper, photos, (all forms of technology, mind you) and now in various forms of electronic or web based media. This says nothing for special, academic, law, or medical libraries. Or archives, or museum libraries.
For me the more things change the more they stay the same. People still go to book stores and they make you PAY for it. And as far as ebooks, they are also sold for profit even though they are all public domain. I think there is a certain amount of comfort that comes from books and libraries, and even though they will evolve along side new technology, I don't think actual books are really going anywhere. when Jon Steward was interviewing Jeff Bezos of amazon about the kindle, Jon said, "You know, I just can't imagine falling asleep with this thing on my chest." My sentiment's exactly.